


Kindred

by irishbandlover23



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends, ３月のライオン | March Comes in Like A Lion (Manga)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, but that is not the point of this fic, its all about the bonds between people, natsume and kiriyama in particular, tbh i don't know much about shogi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-27 00:15:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10797726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irishbandlover23/pseuds/irishbandlover23
Summary: A chance encounter during their Kyoto trip helps and shapes two lonely souls seeking their place in the world.Alternatively, Natsume and Kiriyama meet, discuss shogi, and never forget.





	1. Kyoto

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted Natsume and Kiriyama to meet. Despite their differences, their characters and generosity never cease to amaze me. I want them to be happy, because they're amazing. Anyways, hope you read and enjoy!

Kiriyama contently sits on a secluded bench, breezing through the shogi book’s puzzle problems. Glancing at his watch, he sighs as it reads _14:00_. _An hour and a half more until we go back to our rooms._

It wasn’t that Kiriyama didn’t want to spend his free time exploring Kyoto; it was that his classmates hadn’t wanted him to tag along. His group members had said, “Stay out of sight, we don’t want sensei getting mad at _us_.”

For Kiriyama, who’d spent countless school trips excluded, he’d grown used to becoming invisible.

_Still…_

Kiriyama clutches his book tighter as he hears a sharp, “Oi, freak.” He relaxes when he realizes the words weren't aimed at him. But if they weren't aimed at him, then who—

He inconspicuously looks around for the source of the voice and notices a boy surrounded by his classmates. The boy—thin, pale, and so _small_ —looked at the boys with blank, emotionless eyes. Slowly, he nodded.

The tallest boy threateningly shook his large fist. “Don’t let sensei see you, or else.” His friends jeered and pushed the boy, who didn’t even put up a fight.

“Go!” they scream.

The frail boy nods and begins walking in his direction. Kiriyama quickly opens his book, and pretends to be immersed in it.

The boy comes to a stop in front of him and merely stares down at him. Kiriyama resists the urge to fidget and nervously looks up at the boy. “Um, do you need something?”

The boy attempts to smile but it comes out looking more like a grimace. However, it's not his smile that makes Kiriyama nervous, it's the boy’s eyes. _Is it normal to have eyes so blank?_

In an unexpectedly soft voice, the boy asks, “Do you mind if I sit here?”

Kiriyama wants to say no, doesn’t want the other boys to come back and pick on _him_ instead, but he takes in the blank eyes, the tensed shoulders, the worn-down uniform, and finds himself nodding. “Sure.”

The boy sits down as far away as the bench allows and stares at the people passing by. Kiriyama looks at his watch. _14:15._  He sighs, tries to go back to his book, but can’t. There’s something about the boy, something he can’t put his finger on, that makes him curious.

Kiriyama doesn’t know what compels him to talk to the boy—whether it was the boy’s listless eyes, his slight shivers as he looks at strangers, or just the desire to reach out to someone—but Kiriyama clears his throat, looks at the boy and asks, “A-are you also on a class trip?”

The boy startles at the sudden question, and points to himself, as if he didn't think the question was posed at him.

Rei nods, book resting comfortably next to him. “I’m on a class trip. Are you?”

The boy nods.

He wants the boy to talk, to do anything other than nod. Curiously, he asks, “What’s your name?”

The boy hesitates but quietly replies, “Natsume Takashi.”

Kiriyama attempts to smile, but is so unused to it, it probably comes out looking more like a grimace. “I’m Kiriyama Rei.”

Natsume stares at him and bluntly asks, “Why are you talking to me?”

Kiriyama freezes. _What should I say? I don’t know either!_ “It’s just—I-I don’t know,” he reluctantly admits.

The boy nods, as if expecting that answer. “Do you want me to move?”

“No!” At his raised voice, Natsume’s eyes fill with slight panic. Kiriyama’s heart aches for a reason he can't comprehend. He softly replies, “It’s fine. You’re fine.”

Natsume nods and stays silent.

 _Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything,_ Kiriyama thinks. _Maybe I just made him more uncomfortable. But-_ He looks at Natsume, at this mysterious boy who bluntly asks why, who doesn’t seem to have any friends, who panics easily.

 _Ah,_ he belatedly realizes. _He’s just like me, isn’t he?_

It is this sharp and painful realization, cutting through him like a sharp knife, that has Kiriyama squaring his shoulders, determined to engage Natsume in conversation once more.

“Natsume-kun.”

The boy runs a hand through his hair, and turns to look at him. He doesn't _look_ annoyed, which should be a relief, but isn't, really. “What?”

He goes for a safe topic. “Are you hungry?”

Natsume tilts his head, as if pondering the question. He shrugs. “Not particularly.”

“Ah-”

“Look, Kiriyama-kun, I-” Natsume gasps, going pale and rigid, eyes clouding over in fear.

Kiriyama stares at him in slight shock and confusion. That wasn't normal. “What is it?”

He shakily replies, “It's—nothing.”

Kiriyama turns his head to try and see what has Natsume so pale and terrified, but sees nothing out of the ordinary; A woman walks her dog, a pair of children hold hands, a street vendor sells sweets. His intimidating classmates are nowhere in sight. “Natsume-kun?”

Natsume shakes his head, but doesn’t stop staring far off. It’s slightly scary, and Kiriyama can’t say he appreciates this odd behavior, but he finds he doesn’t want to leave Natsume just yet. “Natsume-kun, do you want to come with me to buy something from a shop?”

Natsume looks at him, and Kiriyama desperately hopes he looks sincere. He doesn't know what he’d do if Natsume says no. “Why?”

Before he can filter his reply, he blurts out, “I don’t want to leave you here alone.”

Natsume gapes, and Kiriyama _really_ wishes he hadn’t opened his mouth. He’s blushing, he knows he is, and he's pretty sure he's about to ruin this conversation, when his thoughts are cut off by a soft, “...Alright.”

Kiriyama clutches his book, and leans forward. “ _Really?_ ”

Natsume’s lips quirk upwards, and if that isn't shocking enough, then Natsume’s strong grip as he grabs his wrist _is._ “Let’s go,” he says in a hurry.

Kiriyama’s wrist is released soon enough, and they briskly walk towards the bustling shops in companionable silence.

After passing the same shop twice, it quickly becomes apparent that they've been walking around aimlessly. Natsume finally asks, “What is it that you needed?”

“Ah, um, my guardian wanted a particular shogi book from here.”

Natsume hums. “A bookstore, then.”

Kiriyama nods. “It was near the entrance, wasn’t it?”

Natsume shrugs. “I didn’t really notice.”

They continue wandering around, avoiding their classmates and quickly making their way to the old bookstore. Soon enough, they find the bookstore and quietly step inside.

Kiriyama glances at his watch, and grits his teeth.  _15:00._ He doesn't want to waste any time so he walks up to the counter and asks the shop owner for directions towards the shogi section. The old lady smiles and points towards the farthest corner, and Kiriyama motions for Natsume to follow.

Natsume quietly follows him, curiously looking at the worn books, but never touching them. Kiriyama scans the shelves, looking at the titles closely, trying to pick one he hasn’t read yet.

He finally settles on a Shogi trivia book, briefly entertaining the thought that maybe, if someone was interested, he might be able to provide interesting facts about his future career.

He waves the book, signaling he's found what he's looking for.

After paying for the book, they simultaneously decide to go back to their bench. They slowly tread through the rowdy street, pointing out interesting things, such as an interesting poster featuring a talking tree of all things.

Natsume seems more at ease, somehow, and Kiriyama can’t help but be happy that he's helped, if just a little.

When they reach their bench, they sit down at a respectable distance. Kiriyama feels more comfortable breaking the silence now, so he says, “Natsume-kun.”

Natsume gives him his complete attention, now. “What?”

Kiriyama motions towards his newly-bought book. “Do you play shogi?”

Natsume shakes his head, and wryly replies, “I don’t really play games.”

“Oh.” Kiriyama doesn’t really know what to say to that.

Natsume hesitates. “But-do you play?”

Kiriyama nods, slightly surprised but incredibly pleased that Natsume is moving the conversation forward. “I do. It’s the only thing—well, I’m good at it.”

As if he understood Kiriyama’s unspoken words, Natsume nods while giving him a look. “Is it fun?”

Kiriyama pauses, thinking _Is it fun?_ He knows he wouldn't call shogi fun—there are too many stakes in it for him—but he does feel satisfied when he wins against older, stronger, opponents. He nods. “I suppose it is.”

Natsume curiously asks, “How do you play?”

Kiriyama feels himself light up in excitement. He leans forward. “You want to know?”

Natsume smiles—something decidedly not false, something small and so very special that has Kiriyama staring at him in slight wonder. “Yes,” Natsume says.

“Ah, well,” he fiddles with his glasses, and opens the book he’d brought with him. “This is-a puzzle. But, you can see that this is how the pieces look—”

He explains the basic names and purpose of the pieces, the basic layout of the game, and brief strategies that he usually plays. Kiriyama knows he’s rambling, that he's probably lost Natsume in his confusing explanations, but it isn’t often that he gets to explain his shogi to others and well—Natsume seems interested, at least.

It almost seems too good to last, a fact that is unfortunately proven true when he’s cut off by a sharp, “Kiriyama.”

Kiriyama and Natsume both startle—Natsume yelps and Kiriyama’s book falls shut with a soft _thud_ —and look up at the girl looking down at them with her arms crossed. His classmate. He looks at his watch. _15:25. Oh._

Kiriyama finds he doesn't want to go, doesn't want to leave this bench just yet. He feels hollow, somehow. He forces himself to politely reply, “I’ll meet you guys shortly.”

She frowns, looks at Natsume, and seems to take pity on him. She sighs. “Hurry up.”

As she mercifully stomps away, he looks at Natsume, who’s staring at him.

Kiriyama apologetically explains, “My free time ends in five minutes. I’ve got to go.”

Natsume nods, understanding. “I know.”

“Yeah…” He trails off. He really doesn’t want to leave just yet.

Natsume smiles, and Kiriyama is dismayed to see that it’s that closed off smile, the fake one from the first moment they met.

If only there was a way—Kiriyama holds out the book he bought earlier, and shoves it in Natsume’s hands. “Thank you.”

Natsume stares at the book, and then at him. Kiriyama shuffles awkwardly in his spot, wanting to explain, but unable to find the perfect words.

Finally, after a few seconds of awkward silence, Natsume speaks. “For what?”

Kiriyama hastily tries to explain while waving his hands in an awkward manner. “I don’t talk to others much, and well—you were fun.”

Natsume stares at him in wonder, and it makes Kiriyama want to stay close to Natsume, to this boy who understands even without proper explanations, who flinches at loud noises, who is so very kind.

Natsume blurts out, “Me too, Kiriyama.”

Natsume throws him a genuine happy smile, which Kiriyama eagerly returns.

He grabs his book, and waves. “Later, Natsume.”

Kiriyama turns, and doesn’t look back.


	2. Shogi

If you were to ask Natsume whether his knowledge of shogi trivia would ever be useful, he’d probably say no. Not because people disliked shogi, but because no one had ever really given his opinion much thought.

That being said, Natsume was incredibly surprised that Kitamoto had brought up a game he _could_ talk about.

He grins as Nishimura replies, “Kitamoto, you only like shogi because you always win!”

"Well, I _am_ better than you.”

Natsume laughs at Nishimura’s outraged gasp. “Oi!” He turns to Natsume, “Don't you laugh; you'll only egg him on.”

Natsume tries to stifle his laughter, he really does, but miserably fails. “Sorry, Nishimura.”

Kitamoto smirks. “It's not like Natsume could beat me. You're in good company, Nishimura.”

Nishimura squawks, but Natsume feels his hackles rise. He finds himself smoothly saying, “Oh, I don't know about _that._ ”

Nishimura takes one look at him, and drapes an arm around his shoulders. “You heard him, Kitamoto! You'd definitely lose to Natsume.”

Natsume nods, unable to back down. Kitamoto eyes him, and Natsume can see the precise moment that he comes up with something. Kitamoto lights up—his eyes fill with mischievousness and his lips quirk into a grin—and draws forward. “How about a match, then?”

Natsume should back down, should probably say no, because there’s one thing he _might_ have forgotten in the heat of the moment— “Sure.”

Nishimura whoops, and Kitamoto smiles widely. He says, “How about a little wager?”

Natsume has already dug himself a hole, so making it deeper is no problem. "What kind of wager?"

Kitamoto lazily drawls, “How about food?”

Food isn't much, but they _are_ hungry, growing boys, so food seems like a great idea. He nods, "Sure."

Kitamoto reaches over to sling an arm across Natsume. He happily remarks, “Yes! I you lose, I get Touko-san’s bento for a day.” He ignores Natsume’s indignant squawk, and thoughtfully hums. “And if I lose—which I won't—you'll get some festival food after school.”

Natsume wants to say no, to renegotiate the terms. He knows his friends wouldn't mind, yet before he can think, he finds himself saying, “Fine!"

It is only after the match has been set and terms properly negotiated that Natsume remembers one key thing. Because there's one fact, one small piece of information—that in hindsight, isn't really small at all—that he's neglected to both mention and think about.

It's that despite his knowledge of shogi trivia, he doesn't actually know how to play.

He pales at the dawning realization and horror of what he's done. He sees Touko-san’s bento disappearing from his sight, and lets out a loud groan. He’s twice as mortified when his classmates giggle as his teacher chastises him for interrupting class.

If there’s one thing he knows he must make sure of, it’s that he could not let anyone have Touko-san’s amazing bento. To do this, he needed to win against Kitamoto. If he wanted to win, he needed some good coaching; but, who could help him?

He knows the mid-ranks, Hinoe, and Nyanko-sensei wouldn’t be of any help. They’d probably laugh and call him an idiot, things he didn’t want to hear right now. He’s sure the Fujiwara’s would be kind and understanding, but he’s too embarrassed to admit that he used Touko-san’s food as betting material. And Natori-san—well, he might be more trouble than it was worth. Natori-san was just _too_ popular, and the thought of being near his bright and teasing personality made him cringe.

So one of his classmates, then.

Admittedly, asking Nishimura hadn’t been his brightest idea. After laughing himself to his heart’s content, Nishimura had patted his shoulder and laughingly said, “Natsume, _please._  We both know I’m not good at that kind of stuff.”

Sasada and Taki hadn’t been any help, either. Taki, while sympathetic, had frankly admitted that she’d never played before. Sasada, however, had immediately proclaimed herself an expert, but after slight prodding from Taki, had reluctantly admitted she’d also never played before. “But, how hard can it be?” had been her response.

It’s been with a high degree of urgency that he’d approached Tanuma. After appeasing Tanuma—no, he wasn’t in any kind of trouble, and no, the youkai had nothing to do with it—Tanuma had mercifully held in his mirth, and had admitted that he played shogi on occasion with his father.

They’d quickly decided to go to Tanuma’s house after school, to teach Natsume the basics of shogi in order to have a chance of beating a confident Kitamoto.

* * *

* * *

 

Natsume breathed in the fresh autumn air and enjoyed the soft crinkling of leaves as they walked the well-worn path towards Tanuma’s house.

“-But, Natsume, I never thought you’d give up Touko-san’s lunch without a fight.”

Natsume lightly blushes. “I’m a bit too competitive, sometimes.”

Tanuma chuckles, and lightly teases, “I can see that.”

Quickly arriving to the temple without delays or interruptions of youkai, they take off their shoes, and quietly walk towards Tanuma’s storage room, where Tanuma’s shogi board was placed for safekeeping.

Tanuma says,“Natsume, grab the bag while I move this to our living room,” kneeling to pick up the wooden shogi board.

Natsume frowns. “Are you sure? It looks kind of heavy.”

Tanuma wryly grins up at him. “It’s fine; I’m stronger than I look.”

Together, they quickly set up the board and set up the pieces in a basic starting position.

“Okay, so first of all, shogi…”

Tanuma breezes through the basic rules of shogi, easily telling him which pieces he needs to protect and which ones he doesn't need to worry about _too_ much. Natsume occasionally shares bits of trivia about some of the pieces—shogi is the only chess variant in the world that allows you to reuse your opponent's captured pieces—but for the most part, he focuses on learning how he can possibly beat Kitamoto.

It doesn't take very long to realize that Natsume’s a terribly sore loser. He reluctantly grits out, “I lost,” for the fourth time in two hours, and grumbles as Tanuma chuckles.

Tanuma consolingly responds, “Don’t worry, you’re getting much better.”

Natsume crosses his arms. He admits, “It’s harder than it looks.”

Tanuma concedes his point with a nod.“It is a complex game.” Tanuma adds, “Can you believe there's a shogi player our age?”

Natsume gapes. “Eh, seriously?”

Tanuma hums in affirmation. “Unbelievable, right? I think he’s a prodigy or something like that.”

Curiously, he asks, “Is he good?”

Tanuma nods. “My father says he's got potential. He’s a 5—wait no, a 6-dan, I think? That’s supposed to be pretty good for a 17-year old.”

“Wow, that's amazing!”

Tanuma quietly gets up and walks towards his bookshelf. “I think my father has something—ah, here it is!” Tanuma exclaims in satisfaction as he returns and plops himself next to Natsume.

Natsume quirks an eyebrow and picks up the magazine while Tanuma explains, “This one has an interview with the guy our age.”

Natsume flips through the magazine, amazed at the detailed regimen that several players have, and only stops when Tanuma points out an article. There's a small picture of a bespectacled boy wearing a polite, if slightly uncomfortable, smile. “There! Kiriyama Rei.”

He looks familiar, somehow. As if he's heard his name and seen those green-eyes, that teal-colored cardigan before—“Ah!” _That's the boy from Kyoto!_

He recalls their stilted conversation, their brief shopping adventure, their reluctant parting, and quickly devours the article, noting that it must've been a little after their Kyoto encounter that Kiriyama had become a prodigy middle-schooler.

Tanuma worriedly asks, “Natsume, something wrong?”

He shakes his head, and smiles. “No, it's just—I've met him. Probably before he became a pro, but…” he trails off.

Tanuma quirks an eyebrow. “A friend of yours, then?”

He'd only met him once, a brief encounter amongst many. But Natsume remembers the worn tshogi book on his desk, the tangible proof of a pleasant moment of the past, and smiles. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“That's amazing!”

Natsume admits, “To tell you the truth, he's the one who gave me the book about shogi.”

Tanuma hums in slight surprise. “That was nice of him.”

_Yes, so very nice._

He's overcome by a strong yearning, wanting to get closer, to keep this bond, however far, intact. “Tanuma.”

“Hm?”

He leans forward, brows furrowed in determination. “Let's play shogi.”

Tanuma chuckles and waves a hand over the board. “That's what we've been doing all afternoon.”

He shakes his head, clarifying, “No! I meant let’s play it, occasionally. Even after this.”

If Tanuma was surprised at the sudden request, he hid it well. “Sure. I used to play this when I was little and got sick often. It’ll be fun.”

Natsume smiles, relieved. “Thank you, Tanuma.”

Tanuma waves off his thanks. “I’m glad to help, even when it doesn't involve youkai.”

Natsume’s smile wobbles, just a bit. He can't ever accept Tanuma’s help if it involves youkai, he just can't. No matter how much Tanuma insists, if he gets hurt— “Tanuma—”

He’s interrupted by a loud and grumpy, “Oi Natsume!”

“Sensei!” _Perfect timing!_

“Ah, Ponta!”

His fat cat glares at Natsume. “Did you forget we're having hotpot today? Let's go!”

Natsume groans, slightly exasperated. These days, Nyanko-sensei only thought about food and _saké_. Well, just for today, he's grateful for an excuse to put off a talk about the youkai.

Standing up, Natsume apologetically says, “Sorry, Tanuma; I've got to go.”

Tanuma waves him off with a smile. “It's fine; it's getting late.”

“Right. Sensei, let's go.”

Together, Natsume and Nyanko-sensei trek through the woods, quietly enjoying each other’s company and looking forward to Touko-san’s dinner.

It’s in this stillness, as the shadows grow thicker and envelop the plains, that he allows himself to remember his past life—of his time wandering through houses that put up with him for only so long—both the good and the bad moments. His heart aches for the things he’s lost and forgotten, but also for the things he’s gained.

_He was a momentary reprieve among the cruel children. I wonder if he remembers, if he realizes that by talking to me, he helped me._

_Because he gave me kindness, I wanted to be kind as well._

Nyanko-sensei runs forward, guided by the delicious and mouth-watering smell of hot pot. Natsume chuckles, and opens the gate, quietly stepping into the yard.

_Kiriyama, I hope you are well._

_I am._

Natsume opens the door, and softly calls out, “I'm home!”

Touko-san’s soft voice cheerily replies, “Welcome back!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone is curious, Natsume does win against Kitamoto (please see Season 4). Anyways, I had lots of fun writing and exploring two of my favorite characters. I hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first time posting something that isn't Gintama or Haikyuu, so your comments would be greatly appreciated!


End file.
